Bared
by lostmidtranslation
Summary: It only takes the perfect photo to realise how beautiful you are. Fratie TWOshot. T for Flash Photography and Language... Slight AU
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: Me? JK Rowling? Never met. Not identical either. I don't make profit, I just use them for fun…**_

_**Fratie TWOshot this time! The sketches will be up on my profile page when the second chapter is posted - Thursday or Friday night, most likely. **_

_**Hope you enjoy, and please, please, PLEASE review!!!**_

………………

_**Katie**_

I licked my lips and looked at George.

"It's your birthday next week, isn't it?" I knew it was. I was Fred's fiancée, I had known him for ten years now, and I knew exactly when his birthday was. I just liked messing with George - he didn't like getting older at all.

"Yes, Katie. Yes it is." He huffed slightly and I grinned at him, "And I hate you, you know that, don't you?"

"Yep." I nodded and smiled at him, grinning widely. He grinned back at me, and then his eyes flickered over my shoulder at the doorway. "Hey Fred." I murmured without turning around.

"Afternoon, beautiful," He slipped his arms around my waist and kissed the skin on my neck, I leaned back into his arms, tilted my head and pressed my lips to his, lacing my fingers in his hair and held his lips against mine until we both needed to breathe. "Good day at work?"

"Eh." I shrugged and picked up the envelope I'd received through the post, staring at it for probably a second too long. "Not too bad."

_Why now?_

"What've you got there, Kitty-Katie?" I could have stabbed George in the eye with my wand, I really could. Couldn't he see that it was private?

"It's nothing." I said softly, "Just work stuff." I vanished it and Fred looked at me for a long minute, a small frown forming on his face.

"You alright, Katie?" He murmured softly as we both went to change from work stuff into clothes we could just doss around in. "You don't look so good."

"I'm alright, love," I kissed the top of his head as he searched in the drawers under our bed for a pair of slippers, and he reached up to kiss me again. "I'm just…tired." I sighed and he closed the drawer with a rumbling snap, then sat beside me on the bed and wrapped his arms around me, kissing my knuckles lightly. I grinned up at him and he licked his lips before touching them gently to mine, holding me tightly.

"I'll let you alone for a bit?" He asked softly, murmuring the words into my hair. I nodded glumly and he released me and kissed me softly again, "Love you, gorgeous." I rolled my eyes at him and he smiled back. "Why not tell the truth?"

He shut the door behind him, and within a second I had made the envelope reappear.

_Katie, _

_Of course I'll do it for you, name the time and the place and I'll be there, or would you prefer to come to me?_

_Dennis_

I grinned to myself and fell back on the bed, quickly scribbling a reply to him and sending it with Growler, my Bonsai Owl. I relaxed then, trying to settle my nerves about what was to come.

Half an hour later, I stepped out of the shower and ran downstairs; wrapping my arms around Fred as I almost threw myself into his lap. He laughed and kissed me lightly on the lips, wrapping his arms around me.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah, lots." I looked over at George, who seemed to be completely fixated on watching the wall as the firelight flickered in the darkness, "Sweetheart, I'm going to be home late tomorrow night," I whispered. He nodded and smiled at me, kissing me lightly on the collarbone.

Fred had always been touchy-feely with me, he liked to know that I was there, one way or the other, and I liked feeling wanted - his hands were always warm and gentle. He could talk as well, and we connected on a level I don't think I ever thought had existed, often we could stay up until midnight, just talking about nothing.

"You guys want dinner?" Angelina's voice rang out through the huge apartment we shared. "I got Chinese from down the road." All of us turned to look at her, suddenly starving and desperate for food. She laughed and waved her wand, spreading the food out on the table in the dining room, all of us practically sprinting for the food.

"I guess we're hungry, then?" Fred laughed as all of us piled our food up on our plates and started shovelling it into our mouths. I laughed loudest, earning looks from Angelina and Fred, one of concern, one of sheer incredulity.

"You alright, Katie?" Angelina started lightly, and Fred frowned again. "Is there something you need to tell us?"

"_What?!_" _I'm not pregnant_. _Am I? _There was an awkward silence, and I could have kissed George for half-choking on some Satay Chicken.

After we'd eaten, I offered to clear up and Fred followed me into the main kitchen, folding his arms and staring at me.

"You're pregnant." He said flatly. I burst out laughing and he looked at me, I think almost frightened I'd suddenly gone insane.

"Excuse me? I don't think you decide the condition of my womb, Fred."

"But-" I stepped over to him and slipped my arms around his neck.

"When have I ever kept anything from you?" I smiled and kissed his neck gently, knowing I'd hit right on his weak spot. He whimpered and I actually felt his muscles moving lightly as he swallowed nervously, his hands slid down my back and I squeaked against his skin, nipping at him lightly.

"I - ihh, bloody hell, Katie-" I grinned and pulled away, he pulled me back to him, touching his lips to mine again.

"Love you, Katie." He grinned dopily and let me finish cleaning the kitchen up, still watching me with his bright eyes and a silly, ridiculous grin still on his face.

"Love you too." I smiled, "And for the record, if I was pregnant, I would have told you straight away, sweetheart." I winked and touched his cheek lightly again, before Fred practically yanked me upstairs and into our bedroom, throwing me on our bed carefully and crawling up my body in his characteristically predatory way.

-xx-

Less than twenty-four hours later, I was sat, clad only in the blood-red lingerie Fred had bought me for Christmas and a large, fluffy blue dressing gown which belonged to my fiancé. I had never worn the underwear before, it was a little stiff on the bra-straps, but other than that I was perfectly comfortable, the dressing gown making me feel totally at home.

_What the hell was I saying? _I was the least comfortable I had ever been, apart from the time Fred had seen me naked after accidentally opening the bathroom door as I was getting out of the shower, then blushed and legged it.

"You alright, Katie?" Dennis Creevey was standing in the doorway, smartly dressed and holding his brother's camera. He had stepped into his brother's shoes after the war and was a natural at photography, though he preferred the still images of the muggle world to the moving pictures most commonly found in the middle of the Daily Prophet.

"Just a bit nervous, Den'." We'd become friends after the war, I helped him out when he was working at events, and being a publicist for the Appleby Arrows, I had a fair bit of sway with some of the advertisers in the business.

"It's alright, you've never modelled before." He grinned at me, and proceeded to start a stream of inane chatter which would last for hours, I knew, if I didn't stop him.

"I know." I blushed.

"So, these are for him, then?" Dennis had always held Fred and George in high esteem, they'd rescued him from the giant squid about three hundred times and he'd never really got the chance to repay him.

"Well…" I grinned at Dennis shrugged. "I've got scars from the war. Lots of scars."

He nodded and I sighed. I didn't like talking about the fire that had burned me, but I liked that it was Fred who had saved me.

"And… they've sort of knocked my confidence a bit." I let the blush creep up my face and I sighed.

"Doesn't he-"

"He always tells me I'm perfect." I smile, "But… I know he loves me."

"So?"

"So he'll tell me that either way. I wondered if I could make myself understand it." I sighed again and he laughed lightly.

"You'd be surprised how many girls just ignore those words, Katie." I grinned sheepishly at him and sighed lightly. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," I swallowed, "I guess so." I smiled at him, "Position away, Mr. Creevey."

For a long second, he looked at me and frowned, then blinked twice and told me to grab the white blanket on the top of the pile in the corner. It was short, almost like a towel, and as I complied with his request to wrap it around me and lie down on the scarlet duvet covers, it left a sliver of skin exposed across my chest and down to my thigh.

"Perfect," He murmured, before proceeding to fan my hair around and mess with me as I laid there, slightly confused.

"What else?" I murmured, an hour later and thirty different positions, some of which didn't even merit a photo, just a huff a sigh and a shake of his head.

"I think, just one more." He said softly, rolling up his sleeves and picking up the "Stand up, and take the scarlet dress that's over there." He nodded in the direction of it and moved the dressmaker's dummy he had in the corner into the centre of the room.

"What do you want me to do? Pretend to be sewing?"

"No," He laughed lightly and told me to stick the dress on the dummy and do what I was told.

I breathed out and followed instructions, sliding the dress over the dummy, and setting myself slightly apart from it.

"Now what?"

"Pull your hair up the way he likes it." He paused and looked at me, "You remember when you came back after the Yule Ball?" I stopped, "I still have the pictures my brother took for you guys." I blushed bright pink, "They were probably his best couple shots."

I remembered Colin Creevey taking pictures of us all, singly and then practically forcing us into pairs to get what I later called 'Prom photos'. I remember complaining when Angelina had practically dived for George's arm, scared of the abuse her feet had suffered by the hand of Fred as they had danced during the night, and Alicia had grabbed Lee, leaving me alone to have Fred wrap his arms around me and play with my hair.

"I'll go and get them." He said softly, disappearing from the room as I pulled the dressing gown up around me and tried to remember what I had done with my hair.

I knew I would never be able to replicate it without Angelina, and so decided I would simply dampen my hair, scrunch it up and dry it, making it messy and bright, just like Fred liked it now.

"Oh!" Dennis was back, "That looks perfect." He threw the photo-album onto the bed and I sighed. "Now," I submitted to his pose, never taking my eyes from the camera and staring into the middle of the night, determined not to look away. "That's perfect."

It took one photo.

One perfect picture.

-xx-

_**A/N: What didja think?!**_

_**Review and Let me know!**_

_**xxx**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: Me? JK Rowling? Never met. Not identical either. I don't make profit, I just use them for fun…**_

_**The Sketch is on my profile page. Please check it out, it killed and took SO long to get perfect. **_

_**(or go here) http:// s487(dot) photobucket (dot) com (slash) albums (slash) rr236 (slash) Lostmidtranslation (slash) CIMG1188 (dot) jpg**_

_**Hope you enjoy, and please, please, PLEASE review!!!**_

………………

_**Fred**_

I paced around a bit and looked at her from the corner of my eye. She had come in with sex-hair, and hiding my dressing-gown in her bag. For the past week, she had been distant with me, she said she was tired, but Katie didn't get tired, then she was late from work tonight, last night she had spent her time in our bedroom with some letter I didn't want to know about.

She looked at me with a light smile and I felt a little heartsick.

_Are you cheating on me, Katie?_

"Sorry, Fred?" I didn't say that out loud, did I? _Shit._

"I didn't say anything." _But by the look on your face, I've got you there._

"You said something about me cheating on you." Her frown grew and I felt sick again.

"Well, are you?"

She went bright pink and looked away from me, scowling.

"You aren't, Katie, are you?" I realised that expression was one of the guilty party, I'd work it often enough to know. "Katie, if-" She looked up at me and silenced me with her expression.

She wasn't scowling, she wasn't furious. She was hurt.

_Shit._

"I don't know what you're talking about Fred. One day you think I'm pregnant, the next you're bloody accusing me of seeing someone behind your back!" Her face was pink with embarrassment and hurt.

"I just-you came in looking all-"

"You think just because I do my hair differently-" Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped lightly, she took a deep breath and I thought she was going to shout at me, thought she was going to scream and tell me I was an idiot, and that she'd never do something like that, and she was going to love me forever, and she'd never hurt me like that.

I thought she would shout at me. I thought she would… try.

"If you think that little of me, Fred… why're you wasting your time on us?"

Her hollow words echoed through me as I stepped towards her, and she held her hand up, shook her head and pushed past me, running up to our room and slamming the door behind her. I should have known that she would have run. Katie didn't like conflict, she didn't like to fight or scream, or get mad at anyone. She never jumped to conclusions, she was meticulous and sure about everything she did or didn't do.

I swallowed and thought about how I'd gone about that little episode. Probably not very well, considering I'd barely thought about saying the words, they'd just exploded out of my mouth without my having the chance to filter them, as bloody usual. Furious both with myself for starting this, and with Katie for not arguing her case with me, I folded my arms and threw myself down at the kitchen table, ready to growl at anyone that came too close to me.

About half past eight, I heard a thundering on the stairs as the doorbell rang. Katie's voice sounded down the hallway and from what I could hear, she had been crying a lot. Her tone was thick, she didn't sound like she'd smile ever again.

"Angelina, please, I don't want to talk here-" She said softly, and my brother's girlfriend make a little noise of assent. "It's-"

"Come on then." Angelina's voice rang throughout the house and I ventured to move to the doorway, peeking my head out the doorway. Ange had Katie's hand gripped between hers, pulling her up the stairs, but I was only half-aware of her presence.

Katie had her eyes locked on mine, staring at me. She looked distraught, the fingers of her left hand wound in her hair the way they always did when she was scared or upset, her eyes were a puffy red, and there were little sparkling tear-tracks from her eyes, where her eyeliner had run at the tears she had shed. I offered her a half smile and she sniffed, averting her gaze from mine as she looked over at Angelina, who tugged on her arm lightly as she tried to take her out of the situation.

"Come on, Katie-"

"Yeah." She nodded and stepped away from my gaze, almost sprinting up the stairs, faster than I knew she could run.

"Ange?" I looked at her, she stopped on the bottom step and looked at me, "She- I-I… I love her." I managed to grind from my throat, feeling the words burning in my throat as I spoke, "Tell her I'm sorry."

"Maybe you should."

I shook my head mutely and looked away. I couldn't face her now. I'd personally insulted her. Katie wasn't like this. She didn't deserve the accusations, I knew she would never do something like that to me, I knew she was… Katie was Katie. She was perfect to me and though she didn't see it, I was so lucky to have her beauty and her kindness, and-

"I can't." I heard her words as I moved to get my things from our room. I wasn't sleeping in the guestroom without some of my clothes for tomorrow. She'd rather see me now than the morning. She'd be more angry now, perhaps I could convince her to shout at me and try to fight with me, because I deserved to be beaten and bloodied by her words and her fists.

I'd accused her of something I knew she would never do.

She wasn't her mother. She wouldn't up and leave when something got too complicated, and I could see in her face that she loved me.

_Why was I so suspicious? _I didn't even deserve her.

"Katie, you've got to tell him."

"But… I-he'll-"

"Katie. He won't care. He loves you, more, I think than you can imagine. Tell him."

"It'll ruin it." She sniffed, "I've worked so hard, and-" She punched something, I heard the hollow thud and assumed it was the pillow or the mattress. I wished it was me.

"Katie, I think you need to-"

"I…" She sighed and hiccoughed, "I'll be back in a second." She said, and I jumped back in time for her to open the door and look at me, surprised. Her eyes flashed with fear and hurt and I tried to smile at her, but I think I merely twisted my lips in a grimace, because she pushed past me and ran downstairs, bringing a larger envelope upstairs with her as she returned.

She stood between Angelina and I, looking between us and swallowing nervously, before sighing and thrusting the brown paper at me.

"What's-"

"These are where I were last night. They're for you. They were supposed to be for your birthday. You've been telling me to-" She looked at me, sighed and shook her head. "I love you, Fred. You're a prick and a half, and I can't believe you'd think I'd do something like that to you."

"Katie… I love you more than life itself." I breathed and pulled her toward me without her permission. I should have asked, but as I pressed my lips to hers and held her tight, I felt her respond, and I felt hope.

"I-" She started but I shook my head.

"I'm so, so sorry, Katie." I dropped my hands from her waist, still holding the envelope, and waited for the aftermath.

She looked like she wanted to scream at me, to yell and break my bones, but she simply let me take the envelope, strode over to the wardrobe and pulled out her favourite soft denim jacket.

"I'll be back in an hour." She swallowed nervously and looked over at Angelina, "We're going out."

"Wh-" But Katie widened her eyes and jerked her head lightly as a signal to Ange not to argue. She nodded and took Katie's hand again, the latter sniffing lightly and wrapping her arms around herself as Angelina apparated the pair of them away.

-xx-

A week and a half later, forty minutes before George and I were supposed to be going out for our birthday with the family and Katie and Ange, I was still sitting on our bed, looking at the envelope. I wanted desperately to open it and see what the hell she had got me for my birthday, but at the same time, I felt so guilty about opening whatever was inside without her.

When George knocked on my door ten minutes later, I feigned illness and refused to move.

Katie hadn't come back for a week, she hadn't returned any of my owls. Angelina said she was thinking about things, had to do things. She wouldn't tell me what, and it was killing me being apart from her.

"Fred?" Katie's voice echoed through the place about ten minutes after George had gone. I supposed he had gone to her to get me out of bed. I hadn't left here all week. She sounded like she'd been crying more than I had, sitting here in our room and feeling sorry for myself, and, thinking about her now, I felt the tears prick at the corners of my eyes as well, though I tried to fight them off.

"I'm here." I called back, hoping she'd follow my voice. "I-are you alright?" This wasn't about me. I'd been pathetic all week, with George looking after me. Katie had just… disappeared.

She pushed the door lightly, it swung open, revealing her looking stunning as usual. She stared at me, silence reigning throughout the room as our eyes locked.

"Are you alright, Katie?" She nodded and I took a deep breath, "Are we alright?"

She took a deep breath and almost pounced on me, throwing her arms around me and bursting into tears. After ten minutes of just holding her as she sobbed, I felt her pull away from me and looked down to meet her eyes.

"Are we alright?" I tried again, and she cocked her hand back and slapped me hard.

"You bastard." She said, and I shut my eyes and waited for the next blow. It snapped across my other cheek and I simply allowed her to do it, holding her as she straddled my legs and slapped the hell out of me. "I can't believe you would stay at home and waste your birthday, you might be stupid, but you know, you should think about-" She slapped me again.

I was done with the abuse for a minute. She never hit anyone usually, I wanted to know what had brought about the change in her.

"What happene-"

"What happened, Fred? Well, the person I thought understood me, loved me, trusted me and wanted to be with me for the rest of my life accused me of cheating on him, and I got sick of it when his twin brother came over to where I was staying and told me about how he had been staying in our old room, crying and moping, but never tried to come and see me."

"I owled you." I managed to squeak out as she looked at me and I breathed out as she leaned forward and touched my lips with her fingertips.

"You did." She said softly. "But I wanted you to apologise."

I swallowed and looked over at the envelope on the duvet.

"I didn't look at that-" I gestured, "In case you… I didn't know what to do-"

"You didn't-" she looked down at the envelope as well, and gulped loudly. I but my bottom lip as I watched the muscles in her neck work as she swallowed, almost hearing the pulse in her neck ticking over. I wanted to lean over and touch my lips to the gentle curve of her neck, make her jump and laugh.

Her fingers tightened in my hair and she tugged on it, hard, I whimpered and she looked at me.

"You didn't look at those fucking pictures?" She yelped, and I groaned. "Do it now."

She frowned and I looked at her, then reached over to pick up the envelope. My fingers shaking, I opened it with my fingertip and let the glossy paper fall face down onto the bed.

Katie blushed as I lifted it up, carefully averting her eyes so she didn't have to see it.

"K-Katie-" I started, "These are-" I breathed out and looked up at her.

"They're awful, aren't they?" she whimpered lightly, still looking at the doorway.

"You're more beautiful than ever, Katie." I gently reached my arm around her, she was still kneeling across me, straddling my knees, and I let my hand slide up her back. I could feel the scars across her skin, felt her tense as I let my fingers play over them, and she gasped as I pressed my lips against hers.

She tried to push me away, but I didn't let her go. I held her tight and she whimpered against my lips, before pulling back and looking sideways at me.

"Katie…" I ducked my head, she still looked furious, and I was afraid of saying what I was thinking.

"Don't ever do it again." She said, licking her lips and tugging on my hair again. I gasped and she smirked slightly.

"I love those pictures." I growled as I pulled her up close to me. "They're just you. Just perfect, and-"

She slammed her lips to mine and pushed me back to the duvet.

-xx-

I found the picture, fluttered under the bed the next morning, and just stared at it while she showered. She was standing, in front of a mirror covered in a black cloth, with a perfect gothic wedding dress in the background. I wanted to steal it for our wedding. She would look perfect in it.

But Katie. Katie looked perfect. Her hair was messed around, just how I liked it, and she was wearing my dressing gown, which explained why she had taken it from me last week, and come home with hair that was ridiculously sexy.

She had dropped the shoulders of the dressing gown, it shone bright against her skin, the pale pink scars on her skin were shining bright against the gown, the black background _and _the paleness of her body. The curve of her spine was enticing, and I wanted to jump up from where I was sitting and steal Katie from the shower, get her to re-enact this moment for me forever.

She was smiling softly, watching over her shoulder and staring straight into the camera. Her bright blue eyes were wide and nervous, and I could see the blush on her cheeks, creeping across her shoulders. I let out a soft sigh and smiled at the picture.

She always wondered if she was beautiful.

One perfect picture would prove it.

This was Katie. Katie, however she was, was perfect.

"Fred… are you alright?" I looked up at her, she was wrapped up in my dressing gown, it dwarfed her and made her look even more perfect. She was staring at me from the bathroom doorway and smiling lightly. "I called you three times."

I let my eyes rake over her form and smiled at her.

"Captivated." She laughed.

"Yeah, whatever." she rolled her eyes and I crossed the room in a half-second, wrapped my arms around her and grinned as she rose up on tiptoes to kiss me.

"Why lie?" I grinned, "If I've always been captivated by you?"

-xx-

_**A/N: What didja think?!**_

_**Review and Let me know!**_

_**The Sketch is on my profile page. Please check it out, it killed and took SO long to get perfect. **_

_**(or go here) http:// s487(dot) photobucket (dot) com (slash) albums (slash) rr236 (slash) Lostmidtranslation (slash) CIMG1188 (dot) jpg**_

_**(Just replace the stuff in brackets) **_

_**xxx**_


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